Biden Called for Covid Censorship, Zuckerberg Says
Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the White House urged Meta to “censor certain Covid-19 content” throughout the pandemic. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The CEO of Meta has alleged that the White House exerted pressure on the company to eliminate specific pandemic-related content from its social media platforms.
Mark Zuckerberg expressed this claim in a letter to Republican Representative Jim Jordan, shared by the GOP caucus of the House Judiciary Committee. He stated that “in 2021, senior officials from the Biden Administration, including the White House, repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content.”
He highlighted that these pressures extended to humor and satire, noting that White House officials “expressed a lot of frustration with our teams when we didn’t agree.” Nevertheless, Zuckerberg emphasized that the final decisions regarding content moderation rested with Meta.
“Ultimately, it was our decision whether or not to take content down, and we made our own decisions, including COVID-19-related changes we made to our enforcement in the wake of this pressure,” the CEO remarked.
Zuckerberg further expressed his belief that the “government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it.” He added that, in retrospect, the company would reconsider “some choices,” though he did not elaborate on specifics.
Following these revelations, he asserted that “we should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any administration in either direction,” and assured that “we’re ready to push back if something like this happens again.”
Looking ahead to the November elections, Zuckerberg indicated his intention to remain politically “neutral,” stating that he would refrain from making contributions that could benefit either party this time around.
Jordan, the Judiciary Committee chair, has been spearheading an investigation into how social media moderation has been influenced by the government to suppress conservative voices and free speech in general.
The Republican faction of the committee characterized the letter as a significant victory for free speech, suggesting that election integrity would be enhanced by the elimination of “no more Zuck-bucks” in the form of contributions.
During the peak of the pandemic, many social media platforms implemented stringent moderation policies aimed at removing what they deemed misinformation and conspiracy theories related to COVID-19. However, these policies faced criticism for potentially stifling scientific discourse, including discussions surrounding vaccine side effects and overall safety.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
Mark Zuckerberg expressed this claim in a letter to Republican Representative Jim Jordan, shared by the GOP caucus of the House Judiciary Committee. He stated that “in 2021, senior officials from the Biden Administration, including the White House, repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content.”
He highlighted that these pressures extended to humor and satire, noting that White House officials “expressed a lot of frustration with our teams when we didn’t agree.” Nevertheless, Zuckerberg emphasized that the final decisions regarding content moderation rested with Meta.
“Ultimately, it was our decision whether or not to take content down, and we made our own decisions, including COVID-19-related changes we made to our enforcement in the wake of this pressure,” the CEO remarked.
Zuckerberg further expressed his belief that the “government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it.” He added that, in retrospect, the company would reconsider “some choices,” though he did not elaborate on specifics.
Following these revelations, he asserted that “we should not compromise our content standards due to pressure from any administration in either direction,” and assured that “we’re ready to push back if something like this happens again.”
Looking ahead to the November elections, Zuckerberg indicated his intention to remain politically “neutral,” stating that he would refrain from making contributions that could benefit either party this time around.
Jordan, the Judiciary Committee chair, has been spearheading an investigation into how social media moderation has been influenced by the government to suppress conservative voices and free speech in general.
The Republican faction of the committee characterized the letter as a significant victory for free speech, suggesting that election integrity would be enhanced by the elimination of “no more Zuck-bucks” in the form of contributions.
During the peak of the pandemic, many social media platforms implemented stringent moderation policies aimed at removing what they deemed misinformation and conspiracy theories related to COVID-19. However, these policies faced criticism for potentially stifling scientific discourse, including discussions surrounding vaccine side effects and overall safety.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
